Chapter 252

A deep place within the Mini Reaper Garden, the Milk Bingsu Snowfield.

There, I was lifting up a White Hamster and observing it quietly.

Its soft, pure white fur.

Its puffed-up cheeks as if it had stuffed them with loads of something.

Its long tail adorned with countless fruits.

The fruits attached to the tail glistened with sugar coating, looking incredibly delicious.

‘Strangely appetizing.’

I thought this while pulling off one of the sugar-coated fruits from the hamster’s tail and eating it.

Mmm…

I popped the round green grape into my mouth and began munching. It tasted way better than expected.

Well, it was basically a lump of sugar, so sweetness was obvious, but—

I had assumed the fruit would be extremely dry and brittle due to being covered in sugar, yet surprisingly, it was moist and flavorful.

If I were still human, I’d have to brace myself for cavity-level sweetness.

But now that I’m immune to physical ailments, I can devour all sorts of sugary snacks without worrying about cavities.

No matter how hard or sticky the treat!

Hehe…

As I started greedily pulling fruit after fruit from its tail, the hamster flailed its limbs as if shouting, “That’s my precious fruit!”

Just moments ago, it seemed utterly terrified, but now it was resisting. Tears streamed down its face as it thrashed around, clearly cherishing those fruits.

While continuously munching on the endless stream of sugar-coated fruits sprouting from the hamster’s tail, an idea came to mind.

A snowfield blanketed in snow.

A skewer designed to hold processed round objects.

These two thoughts combined in my brain, conjuring up an image of a certain Object.

The wicked Object that left a scar on Yerin’s neck!

When I confirmed through Yerin’s wound that dreams were reality, this was truly the Object I wanted to meet.

Really, really wanted to meet.

Although distracted by the hamster’s fruit, it took me a bit longer to recall it, but recalling it now was enough.

Hehe…

How should I torment this hamster so rumors spread about how well I tormented it?

As these thoughts crossed my mind, I could feel the corners of my mouth curling upward in anticipation of revenge.

The small eyes of the frightened hamster reflected my face, distorted with a truly evil yet satisfied smile.

***

The hamster lay sprawled on the floor, its limbs vanished.

“Hmph, finally succeeded.”

I looked at the scene with satisfaction and smiled.

It wasn’t just cutting off the hamster’s limbs; rather, it was more like severing them by distorting space itself.

Even though the limbs were still attached, they existed elsewhere!

For someone like me who usually destroys things with brute force, this was quite a challenging task.

But since Yerin has a scar that won’t fade, this punishment is justified, isn’t it?

And I was carefully brainstorming various pranks to pull on the hamster next.

The first prank idea that came to mind was “Flamingo, Fire, and Prometheus.”

This prank involved binding the hamster, making a cross-shaped incision on its abdomen, and summoning the Sugar Flamingo.

Then the hamster would endure the eternal punishment of having its liver pecked out by the flamingo, much like Prometheus.

An educational prank based on mythology!

However, I decided against it because the Mini Reapers might not approve.

Pranks should be delicious, like tearing apart or roasting the hamster instead.

Ultimately, I chose a fitting prank: placing a halo on my head and creating a giant vending machine.

Though wearing the halo caused an unfamiliar pain, I gritted my teeth for Yerin’s sake.

For Yerin’s scar’s revenge!

The structure of the giant vending machine was simple.

The hamster was tied inside the machine, where a warden continuously picked fruits from its tail.

The warden was none other than the Sugar Flamingo, who, freed from its fiery punishment, would diligently pluck fruits from the hamster.

Hehe…

The hamster, missing its limbs, had no choice but to endlessly lose its treasured sugar-coated fruits.

Thus, a vending machine selling all kinds of sugar-coated fruits was completed.

***

At the James Tower construction site located in a corner of Songpa District.

James was conducting a video call with a man displayed on his monitor screen.

[James, as you said, we’ve confirmed the complete disappearance of the Siberian snow moon in Russia.]

“Now the ‘moment’ mentioned in Book 0 is approaching. If what’s written in Book 0 is correct, we need to prepare thoroughly.”

James tapped the thick book he was holding.

[Russia has also detected the end of the Object crisis and is deploying personnel. Many people died. So far, over a million casualties have been confirmed.]

“Of course. The entire area was consumed. Anyone inside must have perished.”

Meanwhile, footage began appearing on the secure computer screen.

The video showed the vast Siberian tundra, clean and empty except for snow, with no hills or obstacles in sight.

But at some point, the tundra began to transform.

People, unconscious, littered the snowy fields, and cities appeared frozen and abandoned.

It was a horrific transformation, turning the picturesque snowscape into a grim reality.

[The sky above is nearing completion with the seven-colored moons. Only the Green Moon remains.]

“Haven’t you found the location of the Green Moon yet? I hope we discover it before anyone else…”

James glanced up at the darkening sky and the moons visible through the window.

“Well, it’s just a hope. Anyway, how’s the import of the Spirit Detector going?”

With the meeting dragging on for nearly an hour, James glanced at his wristwatch.

It was a request from Sehee Research Institute.

[Unfortunately, it seems the import is completely blocked. Spirit Detectors seem to be prohibited from entering Korean research facilities entirely.]

“What?”

While the Korean Object Association often acted inexplicably, this time their actions were particularly baffling.

“Hmm… Looks like I’ll have to bring it myself and lend it to them.”

“Thanks for letting me know despite the hassle,” James said as he ended the transmission.

“I was planning to visit soon anyway, so this gives me another reason to go.”

James turned off the computer, glancing in the direction of Sehee Research Institute.

***

My cozy isolation room at Sehee Research Institute.

Lying on the bed, I was eating pudding while watching TV.

Next to me, numerous Purple Reapers were intensely focused on the TV screen, gripping their hands tightly.

They were so concentrated that even poking their chubby cheeks didn’t elicit any reaction.

Despite not understanding the language, they managed to focus this intently. Impressive.

Are they smarter than I thought?

Thinking about how Mini Reapers are getting smarter sometimes gave me chills.

Surely they won’t become Deviant Reapers just by getting smarter, right?

I’m a good mom, so everything will be fine.

The TV was showing a movie featuring superhumans with Object abilities.

A movie where a superhuman capable of absorbing shocks, much like Purple Reapers, played the main villain.

Although I’d seen it before and was about to change the channel, I couldn’t bear to do so because the Purple Reapers were enjoying it so much.

So instead, I watched the Purple Reapers.

On closer inspection, each Purple Reaper’s outfit had slightly different details.

Are they pursuing their own personal style?

Now that I think about it, their outfits seem to change daily.

Suddenly, the Purple Reapers clutched the blanket tightly, stretching their necks forward in anticipation.

The movie was nearing its ending.

“No!”

“NO!!”

This was the climactic scene where the indestructible villain, capable of absorbing physical attacks, met their end through mental pollution.

A cruel scene where the hero disables the villain’s ability and delivers the final blow.

Upon the villain’s death, the Purple Reapers hung their heads low and began shedding tears.

“Mommy!”

“Mommyyy!”

They stopped watching the movie and clung to me, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Shh, it’s okay. It’s okay.”

Though I didn’t fully understand why they were sad, I gently consoled and petted them.

The next day, an odd helmet became quite popular among the Purple Reapers.

The strange-looking helmet from the movie that blocks mental pollution.

“!”

Wait, did they empathize with the villain?

***

In a dark room, devoid of anyone.

Oh Muryong sat in a wheelchair, endlessly gazing at the figure of his granddaughter inside a capsule.

Cough… cough…

Given his age, Oh Muryong’s health was rapidly deteriorating.

“Not yet. I can’t die yet.”

The stubborn, determined, and somewhat obsessive face of the old man was reflected in the capsule’s glass.

In the dimly lit room stood an old, ornate lamp. Lifting it high, Oh Muryong shouted.

“How many clones must I create? How much emotion must I gather?”

[Still insufficient.]

From the lamp emanated an ominous red glow, followed by a raspy voice akin to a cracked record.

“Hmph, that’s right.”

Oh Muryong chuckled bitterly and carefully lifted a sealed case.

A case containing a lamp-like Object, presumably from Director of Research Institute No. 3.

“One wasn’t enough, so I’ll use two.”

Evolution Liquid, known for destroying Objects with high probability and extending lifespan.

That was Oh Muryong’s goal.

“Not yet. I can’t die yet.”

Slowly breaking the seal, he muttered repeatedly, “For my granddaughter.”